Il Segretario Generale, Amb. Ettore Francesco Sequi, ha ricevuto oggi alla Farnesina Karen Donfried, Assistant Secretary of State statunitense per l’Europa.
Today, the Secretary General, Ambassador Ettore Francesco Sequi, received Karen Donfried, US Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs, at the Farnesina.
Ambassador Sequi and Assistant Secretary Donfried reaffirmed the excellent state of bilateral relations between Italy and the United States, as confirmed by the recent meetings of Italian Prime Minister Meloni with US President Biden on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Bali and of Italian Deputy Prime Minister Tajani with US Secretary of State Blinken on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Münster, as well as by the recent mission to Rome of US Deputy Secretary of State Sherman.
During the meeting, Sequi and Donfried renewed their strong condemnation of Russian aggression against Ukraine, reiterating the importance of Euro-Atlantic coordination in support of Kiev and the resilience of the affected civilian infrastructure. In this perspective, Ambassador Sequi expressed strong appreciation for the excellent coordination achieved in the G7, NATO and Quint format. Ambassador Sequi recalled the unconditional support offered by Italy to Ukraine and Italy’s adherence to the sanctions framework adopted at the European level to keep up the pressure on Moscow and foster the conditions necessary to achieve just peace in Ukraine. The Secretary General of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs also stressed the importance of keeping the channels of interlocution between the parties open, including through the facilitation of contacts that have so far led to important results in the food security and humanitarian sectors, with the agreement on wheat and the exchange of prisoners.
Ambassador Sequi and US Assistant Secretary Donfried agreed on the importance of intensifying diplomatic action, including in the Quint framework, for the stabilisation of the Western Balkans and the relaunch of its Euro-Atlantic integration path. Finally, Sequi and Donfried exchanged views on relations with China.